The Avatar Edition, aka number 83, was published by Eric Michael Johnson, on December 30, 2009, at 8:00 AM. Although I’ve thus far omitted to post something on this edition, I’ll add a brief word here. The first few posts deal with James Cameron’s latest project to hit the cinemas in the guise of Avatar which by all accounts has come in for a pretty mixed reception; I haven’t seen it yet, so I can’t offer any insights, but the related posts at 4SH look behind the scenes at some of those who became involved in the film’s creation, which even had a language specifically created for it.

In addition there were a number of other intriguing posts, dealing with more linguistics, archaeology, biological evolution and Applied/Theoretical anthropology, including a post from the excellent Anthropology in Practice blog, which concentrates more on  life in the modern day – although I spend probably too much time patrolling the palaeoanthropology beat, it’s always interesting to read thoughts and observations of anthropologists as they navigate their way through and across the conurbations, in this particular case the New York of today. In any case, be sure to check each and every post of this edition, as you never know what you didn’t know until you suddenly discovered etc etc…

On now to zinjanthropus  at A Primate of Modern Aspect, episode 84, where the following takes place between x AM and y PM:

In this Gratuitous Gelada Edition, as we might expect from the title and host, a number of posts feature our primate relatives – as observation-based research produces ever-growing cascades of data from cultural and behavioural studies, so our close relatives become ever more interesting. As the extent to which our own evolution is entangled with non-human counterparts appears to be more detailed and tightly bound than could have been imagined in previous decades, many notions such as enhanced cognitive abilities through increased brain size amongst H. sapiens sapiens to explain our ‘superiority’ are fast becoming myth, especially when considering how we supposedly came to be uniquely culture-adapted modern humans. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly clear that behaviours such as tool-use are much more widespread across the animal kingdom, as this recent article on stingrays indicates.

Another notable aspect of this edition of Four Stone Hearth is the re-appearance of Julien Riel-Salvatore at A Very Remote Period Indeed – one of the best bloggers out there on palaeoanthropology, and I thoroughly recommend anyone who has not already done so to bookmark the site/ subscribe to the feed, or otherwise initiate your preferred method of keeping abreast of new posts.

In fact, the very next edition of Four Stone Hearth is due to be hosted by Julien on January 27th, so just check the 4SH site for details of how to submit material, as well as further information on how to host your very own action-packed and cliff-hanging edition.

Regardless of that, there are plenty of good posts packed into her edition, in which The Gift by Marcel Mauss gets an early mention  – it’s one of those books I’ve dipped into here and there on many an occasion, and one that makes for excellent reading, especially at this time of year. It even contains a handy Maori proverb, quite apt I suppose, for this or any other time of the year…

Ko Maru kai atu, Ko maru kai mai, ka ngohe ngohe

…which according to Mauss means “Give as much as you take, all shall be very well.”

On which note, please head over to the latest edition of Four Stone Hearth to read the selection of assembled posts – as well as submissions from familar contributors such as Aardvarchaeology and The Primate Diaries, there are two other blogs previously unknown to me, namely Archosaur Musings and An Anthropologist Goes Techno, as well as three posts from the host herself, to whom thanks are due for publishing this edition.

The final 4SH of this year is due out on December 30th, whilst the whole of 2010 is as yet an open opportunity for anyone wishing to host this anthropology blog carnival during that time – details of how to apply can be found here.

image: Marcel Mauss from hilobrow.com

The second half of 4SH 81 delves into primatology, where drills and macaques come under scrutiny, as does the intriguing idea that water can perhaps be thought of indirectly as a tool, the latter of which comes courtesy of the author herself – this is a fairly new blog which might not be familiar to some readers, so be sure to check out current and previous entries as well.

The next and 82nd edition of Four Stone Hearth will take place on Wednesda, December 16th over at Anthropology in Practice, when Krystal D’Costa will host, and details of how to submit content are available at the host site. As yet there is no-one booked for the end-of-year finale, due on Wednesday December 30th, or indeed any of the slots for 2010, so if you’ve hosted before and would like to do so again, or would like to try your hand at hosting for the first time, just head to the 4SH page where details of how to do so can be found.

Many thanks to Michelle for hosting, and in case you’re wondering where in the New World you might encounter a spider monkey living in its natural habitat, this Wikipedia entry provides some relevant information.

image of spider monkey from Innovation Gone Wrong

One destination almost certainly not on the must-see wish-lists of said Creationists would likely be the seedier side of the British Museum’s less known rooms, where a goodly collection of controversial art and artefacts have accumulated over the years, including an intriguing 11,000 year-old carving in calcite of a couple locked in embrace, from the desert of Judaea, as I recall. Zahi Hawass is heard darkly muttering beneath the brim of his slightly odd hat, whilst elsewhere we see a vision of the future that was old hat before we even got there. There’s plenty more in this issue to make it worth setting aside about an hour to read the lot, so many thanks to Paddy K for continuing what has been a very good series of 4SH blog carnivals, despite the hazardous nature of his cycling activities around the streets of Stockholm.

The next edition, the 79th no less, will be held here at Anthropology.net on Wednesday November 4th – I think my email address for submissions should be somewhere onsite, or if in doubt, maybe get them to me via Martin R; details here at Four Stone Hearth.

Known locally as the ‘landscape detectives’, we are a group of Masters students at Sheffield University studying Landscape Archaeology. This blog will show the results of our informal discussions, fieldtrips, more general landscape news,  and other things that are landscapey and/or archaeology.

Pete Cox has compiled this latest assemblage of artefacts in the guise of archaeology and anthropology posts that have appeared in the recent past, culled from some of the usual 4SH suspects as well as one or two from sites which may be unfamiliar to some, but are well worth checking out in their own right. Not only do these latest contributions cover a broad scope of stuff that should be of interest to all, but as ever, they’re all very nicely written, offering as they do, plenty of food for thought.

The next edition is due out on October 21st, for which the hosting slot is still open, so if you’d like to add your blog to the long list of those who have hosted in the past, all you need to do is drop Martin R a line via here and take it from there.

This 76th edition is a great mix of recent discoveries that have made the headlines of late, as well as a few contemplative posts, which amongst all else question not only what we see but how we interpret and process different types of information that are presented to us; there’s even a movie to watch, courtesy of the Archaeology Channel, plus a load of free papers from PNAS. None of these articles require expensive multi-spectrum telescopes, robotic space missions or teams of dauntingly bright astrophysicists to enlighten us further, as an ability to read is quite sufficient; so just head on over to Afarensis to check out the latest cluster of posts to have been plucked from their orbital paths around the blogosphere.

The next edition of 4SH is due out on October 7th, but as yet there are no hosts slated, so if you’re keen on embarking on a one-person mission to stage the 77th edition, just head over to the Four Stone Hearth base, where instructions for hosting and submitting await.

The next host will be Afarensis on September 23rd, after which there a free hosting slots up for grabs, and details of how to bring 4SH to your own blog can be found at the dedicated carnival site.

• Table of Contents
• 411
  Anthropological Currents

  Citation-Full Text-PDF Version (112 kB)
• 413
  Current Applications

  Y. A. Orr

  Citation-Full Text-PDF Version (83 kB)
• Articles
  415
  Language, Asylum, and the National Order

  Jan Blommaert

  Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (340 kB)
• 443
  “We Drew What We Imagined” Participatory Mapping, Performance, and the Arts of Landscape Making

  Bjørn Ingmunn Sletto

  Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (1645 kB)
• 477
  Hybrid Bodyscapes: A Visual History of Yanesha Patterns of Cultural Change

  Fernando Santos‐Granero

  Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (1452 kB)
• 513
  When Is Housing an Environmental Problem? Reforming Informality in Kathmandu

  Anne Rademacher

  Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (284 kB)
• Reports
  535
  Maize and Sociopolitical Complexity in the Ayacucho Valley, Peru

  Brian Clifton Finucane

  Abstract-Full Text with Enhancements-PDF Version (543 kB)
• 547
  Nuvatukya’ovi, San Francisco Peaks: Balancing Western Economies with Native American Spiritualities

  Maria Glowacka, Dorothy Washburn, and Justin Richland

  Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (205 kB)
• 563
  Moving beyond a Snapshot to Understand Changes in the Well‐Being of Native Amazonians: Panel Evidence (2002–2006) from Bolivia

  Ricardo Godoy, Victoria Reyes‐García, Clarence C. Gravlee, Tomás Huanca, William R. Leonard, Thomas W. McDade, Susan Tanner, and the TAPS Bolivia Study Team

  Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (219 kB)

The table of contents listed above gives a good idea of how this particular issue is themed, and time permitting, I’ll add a note on one or two of the papers listed, which this time round have more of a contemporary focus as opposed to a prehistoric context. For example, this abstract from the paper  ‘Hybrid Bodyscapes: A Visual History of Yanesha Patterns of Cultural Change’ by Fernando Santos‐Granero, reads thus:

This paper examines cultural change and hybridity through a visual history of the alterations in dress, ornamentation, and body treatment experienced by the Yanesha of Peruvian Amazonia in postcolonial times. Such transformations often appear to be fluctuations between tradition and modernity explained alternatively as instances of “acculturation” or as expressions of “invented traditions” and “postmodern identity politics.” By focusing mainly on external factors, these theoretical approaches pay insufficient attention to the role of native perceptions and practices in promoting cultural change. Approaches that do take into consideration these perceptions, such as those centered on the notions of “passing” and “mimesis,” do not apply to this particular case.

Adopting a Yanesha perspective as a departure point, I argue that what appear to be expressions of acculturative processes are the result of a long‐standing indigenous openness to the Other—particularly the white and mestizo Others—and the native conviction that the Self is possible only through the incorporation of the Other. Such incorporation always finds expression in bodily transformations, hybrid bodyscapes that change throughout time according to the shifting relationships between Self and Other.

Check this link for a fuller listing which includes several reviewed books.

Reference: Current Anthropology, Volume 50, Number 4 (August 2009)

image: Yanesha tribespeople from Crónica Viva